By: Habibullahi Temako
Admission stress in Nigeria tertiary institutions is escalating as the demand for higher education grows across the country. Universities being the most sought- after, offer diverse courses ranging from medicine to law becoming crucial for specialized knowledge and skill acquisition.
However, the intricacies of the admission process pose significant challenges. Prospective students, especially secondary graduates, find it exceedingly difficult to secure admission, notably in competitive courses.The existing infrastructure, policies and political realities surrounding the educational system exercarbate this issue.
Federal universities in particular witness a disheartening scenario where admission seekers face formidable obstacles. The admission process is marred by corruption, often orchestrated by incompetent agents. The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board shoulders much of the blame, failing to ensure transparent, accessible and unbiased admission procedures. Thousands of aspiring youths abandoned their educational pursuit due to frustration induced by opaque policies
Thus, Nigeria as a country needs to work hard to reform the admission policies—by first; reviewing JAMB admission policies, expanding the admission quotal and or modify the Catchment Area rules among other needless factors. Until then, this will ensure that many candidates/students who never expected admission because they have no god-father or upper hand-connection could rejoice for gaining admission. It’s believed that when JAMB could reclaim this marginal redemption, it will give rise to accommodate students—thereby giving equal accessibility to education for all across the country.